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Friday, November 18, 2016

Bersih 5 Rally - 1

8.30am: Sogo - A FRU team of around 50 are having a briefing in front of Sogo.

Several trucks and a water cannon are seen parked outside the Dang Wangi district police station.

Police have set up road blocks at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in front of Sogo to prevent people who wear red or yellow from entering the road.

Sogo is not a gathering point for Bersih or red-shirts and so far only a few people in the yellow Bersih tee shirt are spotted passing by the area.

8.20am: Masjid Negara - A man clad in a fuzzy Pikachu outfit is garnering a lot of attention here as people clamour to take pictures with him.

The man, Abdul Malik Abdul Razak, says he came here with a group of others from Kluang, Johor on a bus today.

"Of course, it's hot (in the outfit).

"I'll bear with it, because we have to rise up," he says, pumping his fist in the air.

He plans to march in the outfit, he adds.

Pikachu is a bright yellow mouse-like creature from the popular franchise Pokemon.

8.15am: PWTC - Police have locked down most entry points to downtown Kuala Lumpur. Naturally, streets are unusually empty in the city.

There does not appear to be people gathering at PWTC, where Umno's headquarters is located. However, one person can be seen selling the reds' T-shirts by the roadside.

Food and shopping as vendors set up shop

7.50am: Masjid Negara - The first order of the day at the national mosque is breakfast.

Vendors selling nasi lemak and other goods have popped up, and are serving Bersih supporters, policemen, and other folks in regular clothes.

There are also a few stalls selling Bersih merchandise.

About two dozen Bersih protesters in yellow are already here among a crowd of over 50 people dressed in regular clothes.

There is heavy security here, and a FRU water cannon and a command truck are parked next to the mosque, although the officers are staying out of sight and resting in their trucks

Similarly, no the red-shirts have been spotted despite pledging to occupy Masjid Negara yesterday.

Bersih supporters fuel up for long day

7.40am: Petaling Street - Plenty of Bersih protestors have arrived in downtown Kuala Lumpur hours before the rally kicks off, as some are concerned about major road closures and fear being unable to enter the city later.

Petaling Street, which saw a heated red-shirts gathering last September, is peaceful and calm.

Rallygoers are seen having breakfast and preparing for a long day.

FRU gear up for crowd control

7.26am: Masjid Jamek LRT, Jln Tun Perak - The federal reserve unit (FRU) team of 50 members is holding a meeting in front of Masjid Jamek LRT station to discuss their duties in dealing with Bersih and reds crowds.

Along the road seven FRU truck with a water cannons are parked.

Police have cordoned off roads at the end of Jalan Perak and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Raja Laut, barring protesters and journalists from entering Dataran Merdeka.

Over 100 cops stand right in front of the three cordon areas, preventing people from entering Dataran Merdeka.

A LRT staff who passes by says three LRT station around the city centre - Masjid Jamek station, Bandaraya station and Plaza Rakyat station may be closed if chaos (kecoh) erupts.

"But now, the passengers still can take the LRT at these stations," she says.

Calm before the storm as city awakes

7am: Protestors are set to gather at Jalan Bangsar and Masjid Negara. The city wakes up to its normal routine although road blocks are beginning to be set up.